Vinesh Phogat faints during the felicitation ceremony© X (Twitter)
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat had a heartbreaking end to her Paris Olympics 2024 campaign as she was disqualified from women's 50kg freestyle wrestling final for being 100gms overweight. Later, the 29-year-old wrestler even made an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) to be considered for a joint-silver medal. However, her appeal was also rejected and she had to returned home without any medal. But on a lighter note, Vinesh received a grand welcome from her family and fans after she returned to her home town in Haryana.
Upon her arrival at her village Balali, Haryana, Vinesh was felicitated with a gold medal by her supporters and members of the 'khap' panchayats. However, a very shocking news has now come to light that during the felicitation ceremony, the renowned wrestler reportedly fell ill and fainted.
After a long flight from Paris, Vinesh also took part in the road show and the felicitation ceremony. So, this long travel and the hectic schedule can be root cause of Vinesh's poor condition.
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Earlier, overwhelmed by the grand reception she received on her arrival from the Paris Olympics, Vinesh said it would be a matter of great pride for her if she could train women wrestlers from her village Balali and they become more successful than her.
Her disqualification had created a furore in India and the wrestling world.
The two-time World Championships medallist wished that someone from Balali would better her wrestling achievements.
"It would be disappointing if no wrestler emerged from this village. We have paved the way, given hope with our achievements. I request you all to support the women in this village. They need your support, hope and trust if they have to replace us in future," Vinesh said.
"They can achieve a lot. All they need is your support. I will always be indebted to this nation, this village for giving me so much love and respect.
(With PTI Inputs)